Self-stigma as a moderator in the relationship between social media addiction and psychological distress among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract Background The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between social media addiction (SMA) and psychological distress in parents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Additionally, it investigated the moderating role of self-stigma in this relationship. An online survey was generated utilizing a survey creation tool. The link was disseminated through a complimentary instant messaging application within chat groups established by parents of children diagnosed with ASD. The online survey included the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), the Self-Stigma Inventory for Families (SSI–F), and the Kessler- 10 Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Results The mean age of parents was 38.74, and 74.7% of them were female. K10 scores were positively related to both BSMAS scores ( r = 0.517, p <.001) and SSI–F scores ( r = 0.531, p <.001). Furthermore, self-stigma moderated the connection between SMA and psychological distress. This indicated that the positive correlation between SMA and psychological distress loses statistical significance once the level of parental self-stigma surpasses a certain threshold and subsequently turns negative at even higher levels of self-stigma. Conclusions While recognizing the pervasive impacts of SMA on mental health, we propose that SMA can alleviate mental health issues in particular groups, such as individuals dealing with self-stigma.